Shoe having spring-activated sectional sole structure



J. MELTZER Jab. 26, 1960 SHOE HAVING SPRING-ACTIVATED SECTIONAL SOLE STRUCTURE Filed June 18, 1958 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 5 Q, 5 n @P w 5 2 E N 4 mm m w mm N M a H M MW n J i i w x E 0 H w 4 a F M H 5 2,922,235 SHOE HAVING SPRING-ACTIVATED SECTIONAL SOLE STRUCTURE Filed June 18, 1958 J. MELTZER Jan.26, 1960 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTOR: JACK MELTZER SHOE HAVING SPRING-ACTIVATED SECTIONAL SOLE STRUCTURE Jack Meltzer, Hollywood, Calif.

Application June 18, 1958, Serial No. 742,953

' 'Claims; (Cl. 3613) This invention relates generally to articles of footwear, and has particular reference to a shoe 'in' which the sole structure comprises adjacent sections of rigid material such as wood.

It is a general object to provide a shoe'in which the sections of the sole structure are articulated'and springactivated in a novel manner, whereby a greater flexibility is achieved than has been thought possible heretofore, and whereby the sole structure may be adhesively associated with a soft padded flexible insole body.

It is a particular feature of the invention to' associate the parts in such a way that the over-all dimensions of the upper surface of the sole structure. remain constant during the relative movements of the rigid sections.

from a predetermined normal relationship;intodiiferent angular positions as the shoe is worn. It is this characteristic of the structure that makes it possible to employ an adhesively-secured covered insole body. This desirable result is achieved, in part, by forming each pair of adjacent sections with sharp upper edges arranged in abutting relation, these edges defining axes about which the sections may turn.

Another feature of the invention lies in the provision of freely extensible coil springs which extend through adjacent sections in a unique manner, to exert a constant resilient pull tending to draw the sections into their predetermined normal relationship. Each spring is accommodated within a tunnel defined by a set-of bores formed in the sections in an end-to-end arrangement.

The springs are constructed and arranged to be readily applicable and removable. At least one'of the springs terminates on an exposed side surface of the sole structure. In one embodiment of ,the'invention at least one of the springs is arranged in atunnel which extends entirely transversely. The springs maybe provided with holding elements or buttons at their ends, contributing to the ornamental appearance of the shoe. In one embodiment of the invention, the shoe is provided with an upper, and the holding buttons engage the upper and thus fulfill an additional function.

In another embodiment of the invention, the springs are arranged in a radiating'relation to a-common anchorage positioned within a recessin one of the rigid sections of the sole structure.

It is a general objective of the invention to achieve these and other advantages in a shoe which is attractive in appearance, comfortable in wearing qualities, and entirely practical from a manufacturing standpoint.

Several ways of achieving these, objects and advantages, and such other objects and advantages as may hereinafter be pointed out, are illustrated in the accompanying drawings in which:

Figure 1 is a plan view of an article of footwear embodying the features of this invention; I

Figure 2 is a cross-sectional view along the l i r 1e 2-2 of Figure 1;

nited States Pater Figure 3 is a cross-sectional view along the line 3-3 of Figure 1; a

Figure 4 is a fragmentary side elevational view of the structure of Figure 1;

Figure 5 is a plan view of a sole structure embodying a further modification;

Figure 6 is a plan view of the spring assembly intended for use with the structure of Figure 5; and

Figure 7 is a cross-sectional view along the line 7 of Figure 5.

In the embodiment of the invention illustrated in Figures 1-4, the sections of the sole structure include a front section 40, a rear section 41, and a pair of intermediate sections 42 and 43 arranged side 'by side so that their sharp upper edges 44 abut along a line 'extending lengthwise. The section 40 has a sharp. upper layer.

edge 45 abutting the corresponding edge of the section 42, and of the section 43, Similarly, the rear section 41 has a sharp upper edge 46 abutting the corresponding edges on the sections 42 and 43.

A thin flexible sheet of leather or other appropriate material 39 is arranged on the upper surface and extends across the joints, as shown in Fig. 2 (but for the sake of clarity not shownin Figs. 1 and 3). It, is secured to the underlying sections by nails or equivalent fasteners 38, and serves to connect them together in a hinged relationship. It ispreferable that the sheet 39 be countersunk, i.e., snugly fitted within a shallow recess 47 cut to accurate size and shape. Thefasteners 38 are also of a kind which lie flush with the top surface of the connecting hinge element 39, so that the upper surfac of the sole structure is substantially smooth.'

The various sections are angularly adjustable by turning about the axes defined along the edges 44, 45 and 46, and the overall dimensions'of the upper surface of the sole structure remain constant during these movements. Accordingly, a padded covered insolebody 48 (Figure 4) may be adhesively associated with the'sole structure as indicated in Figure 4. r W

In the embodiment illustrated, the rear section 41 is formed as an integral part of a larger piece which also defines the heel of the shoe (not shown). The bottom surfaces of the sections 40, 41, 42 and 43 are-appropriately contoured into the convex shape shown, and the side walls of the sections are similarly curved toimpart the desired shaping to the sole structure. The padded insole 48 is coextensivewith the upper surface of the sole structure, and maybe adhesively heldin position by any appropriate bonding means. On the under surface of the sole structure, a layer of leather or other similar material 37 may be provided, each of the rigid sections carrying a correspondingly-shaped section of this The shoe in this case is also provided .with an upper 49 in the vamp region, and its lower edges are held in position by means of ornamental fasteners 50, 51jand 52. In this case, however, these fasteners serveat the same time as holding elements for the springs which activate the hingedly connected sections of the sole structure.

Thus, it will be observed that the freely extensible coil spring 53 extends between the holding elements orbuttons 52. It is arranged in a generally transverse direction within a tunnel defined by bores 54 and 55 formed I in the sections 43 and 42, respectively, in an end-to-end I 58. The central part 56 is parallel to the long axis Patented Jan. 26, 1 960 of the shoe, and is formed in the section 43. The oblique part 57 is formed in the section 40 and terminates at the exposed side of the shoe. The oblique region 58 of the tunnel is formed in the section 41 and terminates at the same side of the shoe. Similarly, the fasteners or holding elements 51 are at the opposite ends of a spring arranged in a generally lengthwise direction within a tunnel having a central part 59 and angular end regions 60 and 61. The part 59 is a bore formed in the section 42, the part 60 is a bore formed in the section 40, and the part 61 is a bore formed in the section 41. The tunnel terminates at the side of the shoe opposite the side at which the other lengthwise tunnel terminates.

It will be observed, upon comparing Figures 2 and 3, that the lengthwise tunnels are arranged at a lower level, where they pass the transverse tunnel, and in this way the several tunnels by-pass one another.

Each spring may be inserted by the simple expedient of removing one of the enlarged holding elements, pushing the free spring end into the tunnel from one end of the latter, engaging the free end within the tunnel and pulling it out of the remote end of the tunnel, then reapplying the holding element. For purposes of replacement or repair, each spring may be removed by reversing this procedure.

In the modified structure shown in Figures -7, the sections 65, 66 and 67 have flat faces that come into abutment along the transverse planes 68 and 69. The sections have sharp upper edges which remain in abutment at all times, thus maintaining the over-all dimensions of the upper surface of the sole structure. The spring assembly is in this case composed of four freely extensible springs 70, 71, 72 and 73, arranged in a radiating direction with respect to a common anchorage ring 74. The ring 74 is accommodated within a recess 75 formed in the bottom surface of the section 66. The spring 70 is accommodated within a tunnel extending in an oblique direction and defined by bores 76 and 77 arranged in end-to-end relation and formed in the sections 66 and 67 respectively. This tunnel terminates at the side of the sole structure, and a removably applicable holding element or button 78 is formed at the free end of the spring 70 to bear against the side wall of the section 67 and thus maintain the spring 70 under tension. The springs 71, 72 and 73 are correspondingly arranged in oblique tunnels 79, 80 and 81, each of which is similarly formed of bores in the sections through which the tunnel extends. The springs 71--73 are provided at their ends with holding elements or buttons 82, 83 and 84, each of these buttons bearing against a corresponding side wall of the sole structure and maintaining the springs under a constant tension.

Where the sole structure is provided with a recess 75 to accommodate a common spring anchorage, this recess may be also employed to accommodate other anchoring elements, for example, an element (not shown) that might extend upwardly through the sole to engage a thong adapted to extend through the toes of the foot of the wearer.

Obviously the holding elements or buttons 78, 82, 83 and 84 might be employed to engage the lower edge of an upper element or elements.

It will be obvious from the foregoing that freely extensible springs of the character described may be arranged in a variety of other ways, depending upon the lines: of cleavage along which the sole structure is divided .into hingedly movable rigid sections.

It is apparent, therefore, that many of thedetails herein described and illustrated may be modified by those skilled in the art without necessarily departing from the spirit and scope'of the'invention as expressed in-the appended claims,

What is claimed is:

1. In a shoe, a sole structure comprising adjacent sections having sharp upper edges in abutting relation, said edges defining axes about which said sections may turn to vary the angularities between them without altering the over-all dimensions of the upper surface of the sole structure, freely extensible coil springs extending through adjacent sections and anchored at their ends to maintain them under tension and thereby exert a constant resilient pull tending to draw the sections together, each spring being accommodated within a tunnel defined by a set of bores formed in said sections in an end to end arrangement, and a thin flexible sheet on said upper surface extending across the joints and secured to the underlying sections to connect them in hinged relationship, at least one of said springs terminating on an exposed side surface of the sole structure and provided with an enlarged buttondike holding element which bears against said side surface.

2. In a shoe, the sole structure defined in claim 1, in which said spring extends in a generally lengthwise direction within a tunnel whose opposite ends terminate on exposed side surfaces of the sole structure, the spring being provided with holding elements at each of its opposite ends bearing against said side surfaces.

3. In a shoe, the sole structure defined in claim 1, in which said spring extends in a generally lengthwise direction within a tunnel having a central part generally parallel to the long axis of the shoe and end regions extending obliquely outward to an exposed side surface of the sole structure.

4. In a shoe, the sole structure defined in claim 1, in which two of said springs extend in a generally lengthwise direction, each being within a tunnel having a central part generally parallel to the long axis of the shoe and end regions extending obliquely outward to an exposed side surface of the sole structure, one of said tunnels having its ends at one side of the shoe and the other having its'ends at the other side of the shoe.

5. In a shoe, the sole structure defined in claim 1, in which said spring extends in a generally lengthwise direction within a tunnel whose opposite ends terminate on exposed side surfaces of the sole structure, the shoe being provided with an upper, the spring being provided with said holding elements at each of its opposite ends, said holding elements engaging said upper.

6. In a shoe, the sole structure defined in claim 1, at least one pair of said sections lying side by side with the abutting upper edges extending lengthwise of the shoe, and said spring extending in a generally transverse direction within a tunnel whose opposite ends terminate at the opposite exposed side surfaces of the sole structure.

7. In a shoe, the sole structure defined in claim 1, in which at least one pair ofsaid sections lies side by side with the abutting upper edges lying lengthwise of theshoe, said spring extending in a generally transverse direction through said last-named sections within a tunnel whose opposite ends lie along the opposite side surfaces of the sole structure, and at least one other of said springs extending in a generally lengthwise direction within a tunnel which ,by-passes said transverse tunnel.

8. In a shoe, the sole structure defined in claim 1, in which said spring extends within a generally transverse tunnel whose opposite ends terminate on opposite exposed side surfaces of the sole structure, the shoe being provided with an upper, the spring being provided with said holding elements at each of its opposite ends, said holding elements engaging said upper.

9. In a shoe, the sole structure defined in claim 1, said springs extending radially from a common anchorage element to which they are secured, said element lying within a recess formed in one of said sections.

10. In a shoe, the sole structure defined in claim 1, said springs extending radially obliquely upward from a common anchorage element to which they are secured, said element lying within a recess formed in the bottom surface of one of said sections, the shoe being provided with an upper having a lower margin overlying said side 10 surface of the sole structure, said holding element engaging said margin.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Pellkofer June 26, 1934 Wulif Mar. 2, 1937 Wallach May 17, 1949 Israel Feb. 16, 1954 FOREIGN PATENTS Austria Feb. 10, 1920 France June 29, 1942 France Oct. 18, 1943 

